Fifty-two children ages 3-17 fished for prizes at Chandler Town Park Saturday morning, June 6 during a first-time Youth Fishing Tournament. The event was hosted by 4 A Better Chandler, Inc., a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life in Chandler, at the park’s 1.75-acre lake.

“The idea behind the tournament was to bring kids and their families together for a little friendly competition and just to provide an educational opportunity,” said Wendy Wary, President of 4 A Better Chandler, Inc. “There were a few kids who had never fished before, and it was fun to watch as they learned the basics and reeled in their first catch.”

Prizes of lures, bait, and t-shirts were provided by Buck’s & Jake’s Outfitters of Boonville. Additional sponsors for the event included Kim James, ERA First Advantage Realty Agent; Donut Bank of Newburgh; Krispy Kreme; and Schnuck’s.

Winners included: Biggest Fish: Keaton Maggard, 10 – 14.75” bass; Kellsae Pruiett, 16 – 11.25” catfish. Smallest Fish: Liam Smith, 9 – 2.5” minnow; Dustin McNeely, 17 – 5-3/16 bluegill. First Catch: Joseph Ashby, 8 – :01; Kellsae Pruiett – :05. Most Fish Caught: Joseph Ashby – 18; Kellsae Pruiett – 3.

A total of 86 fish were caught during the event, a majority of which were bluegill. Catfish were the second most popular catch. One turtle was also caught and released by a participant. In addition to the tournament, coloring pages with educational information on freshwater inhabitants were also provided.

“I was excited to see so many families spending quality time together at our park,” said Daniel Edwards, the organization’s vice president. “Parks should be spaces where the community can come together for recreation and that’s exactly what we saw today.”

The lake at Chandler Town Park is a fairly popular fishing spot on a normal day, but it had quite a bit more visitors June 6 during the Youth Fishing Tournament, held in conjunction with Indiana’s Free Fishing Weekend.

A panoramic view of the competitors in the Youth Fishing Tournament, held June 6 at Chandler Town Park.

Daniel Edwards measures a bluegill caught by Cole Mahon, 4. Mahon may not have won any prizes with the nearly 5-inch catch, but as a first-time fisherman, reeling in his very first fish was a reward of its own.

Find more information and photos from this event and other projects on the organization’s Facebook page.